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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

teething - not keen on giving calpol

52 replies

DuelingFanjo · 05/09/2011 07:50

But should I? DS has two teeth through at eight months. He wakes a lot in the night but can normally be settled with teething gel, powder or breast. Everyone suggests calpol. Is it cruel for me to not give him any?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

ThatsNotMyBabyBelly · 06/09/2011 19:58

I agree ibuprofen is better for toothpain and use calprofen. I also found cucumber thickly sliced from the fridge helped gums. And in regard to Calpol always use the sugar free - although I imagine most people do.

Original poster

DuelingFanjo · 06/09/2011 21:34

I am looking into getting an amber necklace so if anyone has any links to where I can buy one please let me know.

Just a quick question RE the Calpol. When should I give it? Last night he went to bed ok but woke within an hour so DH and I decided to give Calpol but it was impossible to get the spoon in his mouth as he was so upset and it made him more upset. I fed him instead and he fell asleep meaning I couldn't give him the Calpol. Do I just give him calpol when he's calm before I put him to bed? Or should I just keep trying with each waking?

OP posts:

ThatsNotMyBabyBelly · 06/09/2011 21:41

If I could see signs of teething such as red cheeks etc I would give it before bed to try and give him a good night's sleep.

ruletheworld · 06/09/2011 21:47

I never gave DD1 calpol as I believe there is a (hugely tenuous) link between calpol under 12 months and asthma and I have just never wanted to risk it.

I have chronic asthma and I can't tell you how miserable it's been at time, so that's just been my thing. And as DH also has excema I've known our children are more likely to be affected.

However - I do remember lots of nights sitting up rocking DD1 in her rocking chair when she just wouldn't settle.

If DD2 is teething and wakes frequently (she generally sleeps through, so if she wakes more than once before midnight I would categorise that as frequent) then I give her baby ibuprofen.

Can I just say I have found liquid anbesol to be far, far more effective than teething gels or powders and would highly recommend it.

Original poster

DuelingFanjo · 06/09/2011 22:07

well, he's woken up for the second time, refused the spoon and been rocked back to sleep so I am guessing that I will just have to keep doing that until his teeth are through.

OP posts:

ruletheworld · 06/09/2011 22:17

Have you tried a syringe?

Or failing that, the only way DD2 will take ibuprofen is from a sachet squeezed into her mouth. We get ours in the pound shop.

ruletheworld · 06/09/2011 22:19

To be hones though, if he's being rocked back to sleep I wouldn't put that down to bad teething. DD2 only gets medicine if she won't settle - i.e. she can't be rocked/comforted back to sleep, or if she does finally drop off with our help she wakes up again shortly afterwards.

Tigresswoods · 06/09/2011 22:20

I thought this at first until DS was really teething. Then we were sat in the floor of his bedroom as he lay crying in my arms for over an hour. This was quite uncharacteristic and very scary.

I dispatched DH to the 24hr Tesco to, "buy whatever they sell to help this!"

He returned 25 minutes later with a party pack of 5 different things. Nurofen being the best!

hazeyjane · 06/09/2011 22:30

I am allergic to aspirin/ibuprofen and as dd's are both asthmatic we were advised by the drs to give paracetemol as a painkiller. With ds we were advised by the hospital to give paracetemol at first and if temp doesn't come down/pain still there, then to try ibuprofen. I always use the fully sugared version because I'd rather avoid the aspartame in the sugar free. Again in hospital they recommended the full sugar stuff as it is less bitter.

Oh and i second Anbesol, it is very good.

Original poster

DuelingFanjo · 06/09/2011 23:00

maybe not teething then, he's had a tooth poke through for the last 2 weekends and been unsettled with both. Just enough to wake me every hour but not enough that he won't go back down with a bit of rocking or boob. A couple of times he's refuse boob though. I guess I will just get used to being shattered for a while. I start back at work in 2 weeks and hope I don't still feel this tired then. This is worse than when he was really little to be honest. :(

OP posts:

TheSecondComing · 06/09/2011 23:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MaMattoo · 06/09/2011 23:58

Iswym and I agree...I use calpol for fever situations. Have been using calcarea phos - homeopathy for teething. I was given it as a baby as were my siblings. Contains belladona, amongst other things. Look it up..is also now popular in the US ( not justification just explanation of increasing popularity of homeopathy)

colditz · 06/09/2011 23:59

yes it's cruel for you not to give any. If you had toothache, you'd want pain killers. Teething hurts.

hazeyjane · 07/09/2011 06:03

I would say that if he is waking you every hour (with crying?) then it probably is teething (has he any other signs?) and if he is waking you that frequently, because he is uncomfortable then surely something like Calpol would be a good idea to settle him. If I was waking up every hour because I was uncomfortable or in pain, then I would take a painkiller. If he is waking through habit or hunger, then he wil carry on waking you up despite the Calpol, and you will know one way or the other.

mousesma · 07/09/2011 06:18

Agree with the others that we've found Ibuprofen better for teething because if deals with the inflammation as well as the pain. It's a smaller dose too so it's easier to get into DD :)

happygilmore · 07/09/2011 08:07

Just use the syringe when he's crying - squirt a bit in.

Why don't you try it and see if it helps? I'm finding your reluctance a bit odd, if I'm honest. Yes there are probably small, minute, risks from using painkillers - but what are the risks from not? How damaging is it for you, and your baby, to have such bad sleep? Sleep is essential for babies, and you!

I know you're bfeeding, but if you give a bottle at all you can put it in that. I have to say if we hadn't have given DD medicine she wouldn't have fed when she was teething - it obviously hurt too much. I think that's more damaging than a dose of paracetamol.

Original poster

DuelingFanjo · 07/09/2011 10:37

thanks all.

I have said that I would of course take painkillers if I had toothache and have attempted to give Calpol since I started the thread. I did ask if it was cruel so shouldn't be surprised that people would answer yes but you hopefully can see from my posts that I am attempting other things llike gel, powders, breastmilk and so on so not leaving him to cry in pain.

I will give it a go with a syringe tonight. We finally managed to give him a spoonful lastnight which helped though he still woke me several times in the early morning. It's quite difficult, even when you co-sleep, to give a crying baby medicine. :(

He doesn't have a bottle at all and I think going downstairs to get expressed milk and a cup at 4am might be more upsetting for him in the long run so I will keep on trying with breast and a syringe.

Just out of interest, do you give calpol aas part of the bed-time routine as a precaution while the baby is calm? I am attempting to give it to him when I can see he is indistress when he wakes up crying and upset.

OP posts:

Tigresswoods · 07/09/2011 11:04

I only gave it when he was upset. After a while they know what it is and want to take it.

Why is it hard to give medicine when co-sleeping?

hazeyjane · 07/09/2011 11:07

If you are giving it when he is upset, I would try putting the syringe in the side of the mouth, and squirting it a little at a time down the side, in between squirts, stroke the throat, to help him swallow, if he uses a dummy you could put that in in between squirts (or I guess a finger to suck). This was the way they showed us how to give it to ds when we were in hospital, the nurse said it was better to be slow and very patient rather than try and whoosh it in. The full sugar one tastes much nicer and I found that ds didn't spit this out, he has swallowing issues so it is a real struggle to get him to take medicine, especially if it tastes bitter!.

I think they recommend to give it earlier rather than later though (so at the start of a headache is better than waiting to see if it improves), so maybe give it to him before he goes to sleep when he has a feed. Also give the maximum dose recommended for his age.

Good luck tonight.

Original poster

DuelingFanjo · 07/09/2011 11:10

no I mean, even when you co-sleep it's hard. Not that co-sleeping makes it hard. What I meant was at least I don't have to go get up, go to the cot, get him out, try to give it to him, put him back, get back into bed.

OP posts:

Tonksforthememories · 07/09/2011 11:15

Try Anbesol liquid. They sell it over the counter for ulcers and teething and it's by far the best thing i've found. You rub a bit on the gum and as it contains an anasthetic it works really quickly. They can't suck it off which they do with the gels too!

My DS has this and an amber necklace and i've hardly ever had to give him painkillers for teething.

happygilmore · 07/09/2011 13:52

Honestly, I don't think anyone is having a go - they're just saying it's not a big deal to give calpol. You obviously love your son to bits!

I know it sounds horrible, but we actually found that when DD cried that was our opportunity to squirt it in with the syringe as she wouldn't take it off the spoon..do as suggested above though and put a little in at a time into the cheek. She takes it off the spoon now, no problems (15 months). If you think he is definitely teething you could always try giving it at night before bed and see if it helps - nurofen is good because I think it lasts a little longer than calpol. (I sound like I drug my daughter every night, I don't, honestly!).

mousesma · 07/09/2011 14:14

I see how DD is in the daytime and if she has been crying and not eating because of teething I give her a dose of Ibuprofen to be on the safe side. N.B. This doesn't mean I give it to her every day or even every week.

cmaz · 07/09/2011 14:16

You shouldnt really be giving he or she the breast after 6 months, calpol is fine so long as you dont go over the dosage

happygilmore · 07/09/2011 14:22

cmaz are you saying you shouldn't bf after 6 months? Don't be ridiculous.

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